Thai Chicken Ramen

So delicious! This is one of the better Ramen dishes I've made. Again, budget friendly, full of vegetables, chicken and lots of flavor. I used the Creamy Chicken Ramen because I wanted to add a little extra body to the sauce. I think a regular Ramen might taste OK, but the sauce would probably be too thin.
1 Chicken breast - 50 cents
2 packs of ramen - 25 cents
1/4 onion - 20 cents
2 green onions - 20 cents
1/2 red pepper - 25 cents (2 for a dollar)
1 carrot - 20 cents
2 Tablespoons peanut butter - 50 cents
1 Tablespoon cilantro - 5 cents?
Total cost - Approximately $2.15

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast, cut into small chunks
• 2 packages Creamy Chicken flavored Ramen
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 1/2 red pepper, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, add 1 Tablespoon oil and heat over medium high. Add chicken and cook thoroughly. Add onion, red pepper and carrot to pan and cook 3-5 minutes until tender.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to rapid boil. Add Ramen noodles with seasoning packet and cook 3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the noodles or they become soggy.

3. Drain noodles, reserving about 3/4 cup liquid. Add peanut butter, soy sauce and brown sugar to noodles, mixing well to combine. Add noodles to pan with chicken and vegetables and stir. If too much liquid remains, bring saute pan to a boil and simmer 3 minutes until liquid evaporates.

4. Remove pan from heat and add green onions. Stir to warm the onions. Top with chopped cilantro and hot sauce, if desired.

Pasta with Clams and Garlic

I've had quite a few comments that there's no way I'm making healthy, budget free dishes that actually taste good. Or that by using canned fruits and vegetables I'm sacrificing taste, blah blah blah.

It's now become a challenge every week to see how creative I can be for under $3.00 total. Last night's meal was my budget version of Linguine with clams. The dish cost about $1.50 total and was actually quite tasty!
2 packages of Ramen - 24 cents
1 can of whole clams - 88 cents
1 Tablespoon of garlic - a nickel, maybe?
1 Tablespoon minced onion - another nickel?
1/2 a pat of butter - another nickel?

Ingredients

• 2 packages of Ramen noodles, without the seasoning packet (save it for later when you need a quick broth, or want some extra zing in plain white rice)
• 1 can of whole clams
• 1 Tablespoon garlic
• 1 Tablespoon minced onion
  
• 1/2 a pat of butter
• fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.

2. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic in a small amount of butter, until onions are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and add can of clams to saute pan, and add Ramen to large pot.

3. Simmer the clam sauce while the Ramen is cooking, approximately 3 minutes. Drain noodles and combine with clams. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and enjoy!

Chicken Ramen w/veggies

Trying to plan meals for $3 each (that's $1.50 per person) has proven to be a challenge, but not an impossible one. Due to some inexpensive markets out here, we've been able to stock up on frozen veggies (just as many nutrients as fresh), pasta, ramen, chicken, and even catfish! This is one of our staples though, because it's cheap, quick, easy and definitely doesn't taste like ramen.

This meal cost about $3 total. Here's the breakdown:
2 chicken breasts - about $1
2 packs of ramen - 25 cents
1 bag frozen veggies - $1
Various spices, brown sugar, stalk of green onions, etc - 75 cents

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 packages of Ramen (any flavor, though we usually do 1 chicken, and 1 Oriental flavor)
• 1 bag frozen veggies (we use a 3 pepper and onion mix)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  

Directions

1. Brown chicken in large saute pan, or wok, until cooked through.

2. Add water, noodles with seasoning packets (use 1/2 of each packet to avoid over-saltiness), soy sauce, ginger and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 5-8 minutes.

3. Stir mixture and add frozen veggies. Cover and simmer another 8-10 minutes until heated through and veggies are tender.

4. After placing noodles in bowls, top with freshly sliced green onions.